My 2g tank

[melev]

My baby Maxima that is over a year old died in the tank. And the second Maxima doesn't look too well either. I guess I'm going to have to put it in my 280g and hope the Copperband ignores it. The water in the Pico is really good except for phosphates, which seems to have transferred over from the main tank.

Temperature: 80 to 82F
pH: 7.9
Salinity: 1.026
Nitrate: 0
Ammonia: 0
Phosphate: 1.5

Alk and Ca would be within normal ranges since the water is newly mixed and added every three days. So unless clams are phosphate intolerate, I don't see a problem. I've fed phyto to the tank, so that can't be the problem. Lighting only 8" should be fine too.

Anyway, that was a doomed experiment. :sad1:

I found a tiny plate coral that had blown off my original colony. It was stuck in a Palythoa, which was apparently hoping to eat it! So I put it in the Pico where it would be ignored.

Then I fed it today with a couple of thawed mysis. I think the Seahorse didn't notice it.

Here is the Ricordia too. It looks pretty happy to me.

 

[ChloroPhil]

Marc,

I'm sorry to hear about the clam. I was really hoping it would work out. That seahorse is precious in that tank though, good choice.

Regards,
Phil

 

[GregM779]

That plate coral is awesome

 

[sjreefer]

Very impressive!!

 

[melev]

Unfortunately, late last night I checked on the plate and it was missing. I started looking everywhere I could, and finally decided to pull out the tiny Sen pump. It was sucked into the tiny grate. I extracted it carefully, and put what was left of it in a Salifert beaker in the tank. I have no idea if it can recover from that because now it looks like a ribbon.

I moved the second clam into my reef because it was also showing a serious change for the worse. Whilst doing this, the clam fell deeply into the rockwork of my 280g. I carefully moved corals and rock until I could see it down on the substrate. As I started to reach for the tiny clam, I found a patch of zoanthids that have somehow stayed alive down in that darkened cave, so I moved them into the Pico. The little clam is on the top of the rockwork for now, provided a snail doesn't push it off the rocks. Hopefully the reef water, current and lighting will save it, but it looks bleak.

I'm really very surprised it isn't doing well. TippyToeX suggested that perhaps whatever was bothering my older clam may have infected the new one as well. Darn!

 

[Electrobes]

Yeah its called Pinched Mantle. I thought at first you had it but after viewing your other pics, I didn't it had it after all. PM disease is a REAL p.i.t.a. - And unfortunately is is very contagious from what I have read. This protazoan apparently can stay in your reef on other corals and waits until a clam can be claimed. Again I can't be truely sure that it is pinched mantle unless I see more pics, but the stress of fish predation, and new waters would definitely speed up its demise. Sorry to hear.

 

[maxxII]

I've had different experiances w/ PM in clams.
I purchased 2 croceas that showed PM approximately 1 month after being placed in the main tank. They were QT'd in a 20 gallon tank and treated w/ metronidazole and hyposalinity for about 2 months. One clam died, the onther survived and was returned to the main tank. The main tank was not treated with metronidazole (I did dose interceptor to remove red bugs, but there are no indications that Interceptor will kill protozoans since its main ingredient is a chitin synthesis inhibitor.)
I have since added 2 more clams to the main tank...no signs of PM in the clams at all.
I dont feel that the protozoan that cause PM is capable of surviving on intermediate hosts or alternate hosts.
Granted, my experiances are not scientific studies, but rather just my observations.

Nick

 

[InsaneClownFish]

Wow Marc, sorry to hear about your baby Maxi.

I'm really sad to see this tank take a turn for the worse. Have you thought about chemical warfare as a possible cause considering the diminished volume of water?

I'm crossing my fingers for you that your other Maxi makes it back!

 

[melev]

FYI, neither clam survived. I'm surprised, but that is what happened. Later I may set up a propagation zone in my 280g's sump, and if I do that I may put some clams there for my own personal enjoyment, because I think they won't be safe in the reef tank due to a couple of fish.

 

[InsaneClownFish]

My sympathies for your loss...

 

[melev]

Here is that tiny plate coral I isoloated (from my 280g reef) last night. You can't see much because it is tucked in a spot where the Salifert beaker won't blow away. Some mysis are nearby for it to snack upon.

Here is Casper. He's changed colors somewhat, more yellowish. I guess he's trying to look like a zoanthid or two.

I wanted to get a picture of the shrimp peeking out, since it is so tiny and cute, but this was the best shot unfortunately. A little blurry, unfortunately.

I need to do a water change tonight.

 

[bennerkla]

Looks amazing!!! Keep up the good work Marc. Let us know that that plate does.

 

[melev]

I just took another picture just before the water change. It was fully inflated and going up the side of the beaker. At least it is safe this time.

 

[InsaneClownFish]

Awesome job Marc!

 

[melev]

Here's my plate.

 

[melev]

Here is a video of Casper in his home on Pico Avenue.

For those with dial-up: 1.8 meg video

For those with high speed modems: 11.6 meg video

Both videos are identical, so just pick the one that works best for your viewing needs. If for some reason clicking doesn't work, try <b>right</b> clicking and then Save As to your harddrive, then view it from there.

 

[cirri]

That is awsome! Man I love this little tank you have going!

 

[lossman]

OK, I'm going out tomorrow and getting one of those little tanks and putting all those lovely Indo Pacific inverts in it!!! Love our 150g Caribbean Reef biotope, but the Indo Pacific has so much more color and variety. A nano tank will satisfy that urge just fine. Thanks for the inspiration, Marc!!!!

Sally

 

[bheron]

marc- great video. i love the nano tank, but even more the seahorse. i dont know much but have been skeptical of them. its great, and encouraging, to see you keeping one so well! its definitely inspirational. thx.

 

[TippyToeX]

Rock on little Casper!

Marc, do think about defusing that one pwoerhead outlet. Maybe a loc-line tee? It looks like too much of a dead on hit. Just my .02.